Episode 1495 (19th May 1975)
Plot Ray is depressed after his failed night with Cindy. Ernie tries to get Jerry interested in the fight against the rates rise but they are interrupted by Deirdre who has discovered the break-in at the yard. £200 of copper has been stolen and Fury is missing. Stan has an idea of having many more guard dogs and getting hundreds of pounds a week from renting them out. Deirdre finds the chewed bone and theorises that the crime was committed by someone who knew about the dog. Rita is a bag of nerves as her first night approaches. Ernie and Harry Goulden form WARP - Weatherfield's Association of Ratepayers. Jerry demands Stan and Eddie pay for the stolen copper. Blanche gets Deirdre to rush Rita's finished dress to the Gatsby Club where Ralph Lancaster warns her that her engagement is cancelled if she's not ready to go on. Ernie and Emily walk the streets to sign up WARP members. Deirdre arrives at the Gatsby with just twenty minutes to go. Impressed with Deirdre's looks, Ralph gets her to stand in behind the bar for the night. Ray accuses Eddie of being in on the break-in and a fight almost breaks out between them with Jerry and Stan having to separate them. Rita's act goes down well while she and Deirdre are chatted up by a couple of oil riggers, Maurice Gordon and Stuart Bellshaw. Blanche returns the wedding presents. Ray points out to Stan and Eddie that they will be responsible if the missing Fury bites anyone. Alf backs up his statement and Blanche and Bet are scared of the thought of a hungry dog on the loose. Stan makes an angry Eddie help him search. Maurice takes a fancy to Deirdre but Rita rejects Stuart's advances. Ralph asks both Rita and Deirdre to return. Deirdre agrees to go back to Maurice's hotel for more drinks but Rita refuses. Ernie has managed to sign up fifty-two members. Blanche is furious when a drunken Deirdre returns home at 3.00am. Cast Regular cast *Rita Littlewood - Barbara Mullaney *Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander *Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear *Ernest Bishop - Stephen Hancock *Emily Bishop - Eileen Derbyshire *Eddie Yeats - Geoffrey Hughes *Betty Turpin - Betty Driver *Ray Langton - Neville Buswell *Deirdre Hunt - Anne Kirkbride *Jerry Booth - Graham Haberfield *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant *Alf Roberts - Bryan Mosley *Blanche Hunt - Maggie Jones *Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens Guest cast *Ralph Lancaster - Kenneth Watson *Harry Goulden - Barry Lowe *Alfredo - Jack Platts *Maurice Gordon - Ray Lonnen *Stuart Bellshaw - Paul Lally *Disc Jockey - Peter Wheeler Places *Rovers Return Inn - Public/Snug *3 Coronation Street - Back room *20 Victoria Street - Living room and stairway *Fairclough, Langton and Booth - Office and yard *Gatsby Club *Unknown streets Notes *Derek Hilton and Bill Nickson were credited as "Musicians" in TV Times but not on screen. *The location sequences of Stan Ogden and Eddie Yeats on their window cleaning round, and Ernie and Emily Bishop canvassing for WARP were conducted on 16mm film. *''TV Times'' synopsis: Double date for Rita and Deirdre… *Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 6,174,000 homes (chart placing unknown). Category:1975 episodes